Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water Abstraction: Licensing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's timeline is for transferring all abstraction licenses into the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

Rebecca Pow: We are working to move the water abstraction licensing regime into the Environmental Permitting Regulations. We consulted on the move in Autumn 2021 and are considering the responses alongside wider actions in our Plan for Water.

Public Lavatories: Men

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192826 on Public Lavatories: Men, how her Department encourages local authorities to consider the provision of sanitary bins in public toilets.

Rebecca Pow: Local authorities are best placed to determine bin provision locally. Our Binfrastructure guidance sets out a strategic approach local authorities can take to tailor their bin provision to the characteristics of the area and the community they serve. I am committed to working across government to explore where potential improvements can be made.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the recently published Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain in 2022, what assessment she has made of the potential harms caused to cynomolgus monkeys by transporting them from Africa or Asia to Great Britain for use in scientific procedures.

Trudy Harrison: The UK Government maintains robust regulations and guidelines to ensure the welfare of animals used in scientific procedures, including during transportation. Strict standards are in place, and thorough planning and risk assessments are conducted to mitigate potential risks. These assessments consider various factors, such as appropriate housing, environmental conditions, veterinary care, and the expertise of personnel involved. Protected animals in Great Britain that are used, or bred or supplied for use, in scientific procedures, are regulated by the Home Office under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. When animals are transported, their transportation must comply fully with legal requirements aimed at protecting their welfare, including the provision of sufficient space, feed and water. All transporters are required to ensure that, when transporting animals, they do so in a way that avoids causing pain, suffering or distress. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the scientific community and regulatory bodies continually review and refine transportation practices to enhance the welfare of animals used in research. This includes exploring alternatives to minimize the need for transportation, such as collaborations with local research facilities and the sharing of resources and data across institutions. The Government is committed to upholding the highest standards of animal welfare throughout the scientific research process.

Nature Conservation: Subsidies

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the replacement of the basic farm payment with Environmental Land Management schemes on pre-existing nature restoration schemes.

Mark Spencer: Farming in England is now going through the biggest change in a generation. We are phasing out subsidies so that we can invest the money in policies that work for farm businesses, food production and the environment. We are improving our farming schemes to make them more effective, fair, flexible, accessible and workable for farmers. The Sustainable Farming Incentive focuses on supporting farmers to undertake activities to grow food whilst improving the environment and animal health and welfare. The Landscape Recovery scheme allows landowners and managers to take a more large-scale, long-term approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land. Alongside these new schemes, we have expanded and enhanced the existing Countryside Stewardship scheme. This has been simplified and improved this year to include wildlife, upland wood pasture, and lowland peat offers, more efficient administration and fairer controls. Around 30% of English farmers are already in the Countryside Stewardship or its predecessor scheme, Environmental Stewardship, covering 34% of agricultural land. We have 32,000 live Countryside Stewardship agreements: a 94% increase from January 2020. We intend to continue to improve Countryside Stewardship by making it easier to apply; by expanding and refining the scope of the scheme; by improving access for tenant farmers; by increasing access to Higher Tier agreements; and by targeting our funding towards actions in places where they can have the biggest impacts, in ways that are joined up across larger areas, and are designed to deliver outstanding results.

Inshore Fishing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Marine Management Organisation on regulation of small inshore fishermen.

Mark Spencer: I regularly engage with the MMO on a range of issues that impact on the inshore fleet.

Manufacturing Industries: Air Pollution

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help large scale manufacturers reduce air pollution.

Trudy Harrison: Pollution from industrial sources in England and Wales is controlled through the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. All large industrial facilities, including large-scale industrial manufacturing, must comply with their environmental permits and use best available techniques (BAT) to reduce emissions to air, water and land. Through the UK BAT standard-setting process, regulators and industry collaborate to identify the most effective technologies and processes for reducing emissions. This process provides stability for industry through predictable review cycles and implementation timelines. Through the permitting process the Environment Agency works closely with operators of large industrial sites to determine the most appropriate pollution control options for each site. If a site is not compliant with the conditions in their permit, the Environment Agency works with the operator to agree measures to bring the site back into compliance.

Ofwat: Staff

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2023 to Question 191942 on Ofwat: Managers, how many former Ofwat employees were employed by a company regulated by Ofwat within 24 months of leaving Ofwat in the last five years.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Ofwat requires water companies it regulates to inform it if those companies employ a former Ofwat employee.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2023 to Question 191942 on Ofwat: Managers, what powers Ofwat has to enforce temporary restrictions on former employees; and on how many occasions Ofwat has placed temporary restrictions on former employees in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Ofwat staff considering accepting a role in a water company complete a business appointment rules (BAR) application prior to accepting any role where the BAR may be engaged. Employees must comply with the BAR after leaving office for the period for which they apply. In most cases that period is one year and for senior level employees the period is two years. Ofwat has placed temporary restrictions on 17 employees in the last five years (April 2018 to July 2023). Three of these were for a two-year period and the remainder for up to one year. Only four related to a move to a water company directly from Ofwat's employment. Ofwat, as a Civil Service employer, complies with the BAR guidance, which does not contain any requirement for organisations to inform Ofwat if they employ a former Ofwat employee. However, in line with the guidance, Ofwat’s responsibilities are to put in place any temporary restrictions for a specified period and share the nature of the restrictions and timeframes with the persons new employer. Neither Ofwat nor the Government collects information relating to future roles of former Ofwat employees who have left Ofwat.

Furs

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timeframe is for concluding the evidence gathering process that will inform proposals to ban the import and sale of fur.

Mark Spencer: Defra published a formal call for evidence on the fur trade in Great Britain, which has now closed. A summary of responses, setting out the results and any next steps in this policy space, will be published soon. We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector, which will be used to inform any future action on the fur trade. This includes commissioning the Animal Welfare Committee to explore current responsible sourcing practices in the fur industry.

Inland Waterways: Finance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding for the Canal and River Trust on the adequacy of the maintenance of inland waterways.

Rebecca Pow: When the Canal and River Trust was set up in 2012 to replace British Waterways, the Government agreed to provide an annual grant over 15 years to provide a measure of financial stability while the Trust developed alternative income streams. Although there was no obligation to do so, the Government has agreed to provide the Trust with a further £400 million grant over ten years from 2027, continuing to support the Trust to deliver a safe and resilient canal network. The grant primarily supports the Trust’s infrastructure maintenance programme, but it is an operational matter for the Trust to determine the allocation of funding within their maintenance programme, and Ministers do not have a role in that.

Inland Waterways: Climate Change

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to improve the resilience of inland waterways against the effects of climate change.

Rebecca Pow: Ministers do not have a role in operational matters on inland waterways, which rests with the navigation authorities that own and manage them. This includes having appropriate maintenance programmes in place to ensure public safety and resilience of their assets and infrastructure against the effects of climate change. Under the upcoming fourth round of climate adaptation reporting (ARP4), introduced under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government will invite the Canal and River Trust to report and will also request additional reporting from the Environment Agency on their canal and river activities.

Air Pollution: Monitoring

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department plans to spend on expanding the PM2.5 monitoring networks across England.

Trudy Harrison: We are investing over £10 million to expand the existing network to add over 100 monitors across England between December 2021 and March 2025 (22 monitors installed to date).

Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help local authorities (a) develop and (b) implement local NO2 reduction plans.

Trudy Harrison: Government has worked with 64 English Local Authorities as part of the NO2 programme. Most have completed delivery of their measures. To date Local Authorities have received £702m of support: £300m as part of the Implementation Fund, for the development and implementation of air quality measures; and £402m through the Clean Air Fund, to mitigate the impacts of air quality measures, for example by providing financial support to residents and businesses to upgrade to cleaner vehicles. Local Authorities in the programme are supported by a dedicated account manager to provide support while they develop, implement and evaluate their measures.

Africa Climate Summit

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to attend the Africa Climate Summit 2023.

Trudy Harrison: Ministerial attendance to the Africa Climate Summit has not yet been confirmed.

Marine Environment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) protect and (b) restore marine (i) habitats and (ii) wildlife.

Trudy Harrison: The recently published EIP sets out our focus on enhancing nature in marine and coastal environments, including the steps we are taking to restore and protect marine habitats and marine wildlife.These include delivering the UK Marine Strategy, which sets our ambition for Good Environmental Status (GES) across our seas.To help achieve GES we have created a series of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to protect and restore our marine biodiversity. We are focused on strengthening the protection of this extensive network of 178 sites covering 40% of English waters, which represents the range of species and habitats found in our seas.To complement the MPA network, the first three Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English waters came into force on 5 July 2023. HPMAs will provide the highest levels of protection in our seas, allowing nature to fully recover to a more natural state and helping the ecosystem to thrive.A number of estuarine and coastal habitat restoration initiatives are also underway including the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative which aims to reverse centuries of coastal habitat decline by restoring seagrass meadows, saltmarsh and native oyster reefs to bring benefits to people and nature.In addition, the government’s £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund has supported a range of nature recovery projects across England, some which have included saltmarsh and seagrass restoration.We also protect marine wildlife in a number of other ways in our domestic waters. This includes being fully committed to tackling accidental bycatch in fisheries, which is one of the greatest threats faced by sensitive marine species such as cetaceans.In 2021, we introduced new rules making it a mandatory requirement under fishing vessel licence conditions for fishers to report any marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative sets out how the UK will achieve its ambitions to minimise and, where possible, eliminate the bycatch (accidental capture) and entanglement of sensitive marine species in UK fisheries.To help reduce disturbance to marine wildlife we published the Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code on 24 May.We are also working to reduce the harmful impacts on marine wildlife and habitats arising from plastic pollution. We have taken measures to target some of the most commonly littered plastic items, such as our carrier bag charge and our bans on a range of single-use plastic items. Our restrictions on straws, stirrers and cotton buds have had a big impact – these items used to appear in ‘top 10 littered items’ lists, but this is no longer the case. We have also taken action on microbeads in rinse off cosmetics, plastic pellets and ghost gear.Internationally, we are also leading global efforts to protect the ocean and champion the GBF Target 3 to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of the land and 30% of the ocean globally by 2030 (30by30). This includes through our role as Ocean Co-Chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People, and our leadership of the Global Ocean Alliance.The adoption of the Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement on 19 June will also lead to much greater protection for the two-thirds of the global ocean that lies beyond national jurisdiction, playing a key role in achieving the 30by30 target. The UK will sign the Agreement early and work to ratify as soon as practicable, whilst supporting others to do the same.The UK’s Blue Planet Fund, a £500 million programme, supports developing countries to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty, by tackling threats to ocean health such as illegal fishing, pollution and climate change; and at the UN Ocean conference in 2022, we committed up to £100 million of Blue Planet Funding to support the implementation, management and enforcement of Marine Protected Areas.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: Musical Instruments

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the requirement for musicians to ensure that their instruments comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations when travelling to EU countries on the revenue generated by musicians.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the impact of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations on UK musicians seeking to (a) work and (b) tour in the EU.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of negotiating a waiver to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations for UK musicians looking to (a) tour and (b) work temporarily in EU countries.

Trudy Harrison: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) places obligations on Parties to ensure international trade in wildlife is legal and sustainable. Defra has worked closely with industry since leaving the EU to understand trade volumes and value, and to look at ways to minimise burdens and friction without reducing our high standards of environmental protection. One option if travelling with a musical instrument for performance purposes is to apply for a CITES Musical Instrument Certificate (MIC). This is a streamlined process, specifically for musicians, which facilitates repeat movements over the course of three years. MICs are currently free of charge. Defra will continue to work collaboratively with industry and other stakeholders to understand their needs, balance them against our duty to protect wildlife under the Convention, and identify priorities, as we prepare for the next meeting of the CITES Conference of Parties in 2025.

Dogs: Electronic Training Aids

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2023 to Question 193127 on Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023, whether her Department has discussed the potential merits of positive-only training of dogs with the British Veterinary Association; and if she will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the use of (a) e-collars and (b) positive-only training of dogs on the prevalence of dog attacks on sheep.

Trudy Harrison: The British Veterinary Association submitted a response to my Department’s 2018 consultation on ‘Electronic training collars for cats and dogs in England’ The response supported the use of reward-based training methods. Defra carefully considered this response alongside the other responses received. We maintain that keeping dogs on leads around livestock and securing dog enclosures offer effective means of preventing dog attacks on livestock, keeping both livestock and dogs safe without the need to use e-collars.

Trees: Surveying

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of (a) the adequacy of her Department's tree mapping and (b) the implications for her policies of trends in tree planting.

Trudy Harrison: Forest Research undertakes the National Forest Inventory (NFI) exercise. Measurements collected from field surveys are combined with the area and general woodland composition data derived from the NFI woodland map to generate quantitative estimates of known accuracy describing Britain’s ‘current’ woodland structure, composition, condition, biodiversity and social use. It is a rolling programme designed to provide accurate information about the size, distribution, composition and condition of our forests and woodlands and also about the changes taking place in the woodlands through time. It is essential for developing and monitoring the policies and guidance that support the sustainable management of woodland in Great Britain. You can find more information on the Forest Research website at https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/national-forest-inventory/about-the-nfi/ In 2020 an independent panel carried out a review of the NFI. In this review the NFI’s importance was formally confirmed as being essential in both supporting and evidencing policy and investment decisions. The report and Forest Research response is published on their website at https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/national-forest-inventory/nfi-user-review-2020-findings-and-recommendations/ Forestry Commission has also published an opportunity map of low sensitivity for woodland creation which identifies areas which are more likely to be suitable for woodland creation - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/use-the-land-information-search. This is to help people who are interested in planting trees, or investing in woodland creation, identify the best places to do so. We will also publish a Land Use Framework for England in 2023 which will help us to strike the right balance between different land uses as we deliver on our ambitious targets and commitments to improve the environment, deliver Net Zero and support food security.

Pets: Imports

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish a response to her Department's consultation on the Commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into Great Britain, which closed on 16 October 2021.

Trudy Harrison: We are carefully reviewing the feedback gathered from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published in due course.

Tree Planting: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she had made of adequacy of funding for tree planting projects in England.

Trudy Harrison: We have confidence that the Nature for Climate Fund (NCF) provides adequate funding for our tree planting ambitions over this Parliament. Last year in England, statistics show an almost 1000 hectare increase in woodland creation and planting of trees outside of woodlands compared to the previous year, with over 3600 hectares of tree planting. This represents the highest level of tree planting in England for over a decade, demonstrating there is adequate funding for our strong pipeline of projects. The England Trees Action Plan is transforming how we grow and manage trees and woodlands in England. Its delivery is supported by over £675 million of funding for woodland creation, management and tree planting under the £750 million NCF. Through this work, we aim to at least treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament.

Tree Felling

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) enabling local authorities to set tariffs for the unnecessary felling of trees and (b) using the monies raised for (i) replacement tree planting and (ii) other relevant schemes.

Trudy Harrison: The felling of trees in England is a legally controlled activity regulated by the FC, which, with some exceptions, requires a Felling licence. If a licence is not acquired the felling is an offence and the individual can be subject to a fine. The amount individuals can be fined for illegal felling recently increased, and Forestry Commission can now issue an unlimited fine for felling they deem in breech of regulations. In many instances it is also possible for the Forestry Commission to serve a Restocking Notice, which compels the offender to restock the land with trees. Recent changes ensured restocking notices are now considered land charges, which means replanting trees will be required on land where trees were wrongly felled, even if the land is sold or new planning permissions are applied for on the land. Local planning authorities also already have the power to serve Tree Preservation Orders which protect individual trees or areas of trees, even where they are exempt from the need for a felling licence. Anyone who contravenes an Order by damaging or carrying out work on a tree protected by an Order without getting permission from the local planning authority is guilty of illegal felling and subject to the fine described. No assessment has been made in regard to adding any additional tariffing system, however, we committed to reforming our felling licence system and controls in the England Trees Action Plan; and indeed, strengthened the enforcement provisions of the felling licence regime through the Environment Act 2021. Further work has begun investigating potential future legislative reforms to the system that would primarily involve the introduction of greater flexibility to licence conditions, improved clarity around felling controls and UK Forestry Standard requirements.

Seed Potatoes: UK Internal Trade

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish guidance for businesses on the procedures for (a) exporting and (b) importing seed potatoes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Mark Spencer: Defra plans to publish guidance towards the end of July regarding the processes that, from 1 October 2023, will be put in place for the movement of plants, seeds, seed potatoes and used agricultural machinery from GB-NI. This is a huge step for the industry.

Deer

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the size of England's deer herd; and if her Department will publish its projections for the size of England's deer herd in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Trudy Harrison: Natural England published A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals in 2018 that provides comprehensive review of the status of British mammal populations, including the six species of deer that exist in the wild in the UK, and gives estimates of their numbers: A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals - JP025 (naturalengland.org.uk) There are no current plans to produce projections for the size of England's deer herd in 2024 or 2025. Sufficient evidence for increasing deer numbers comes from past surveys, the expansion of their geographic range, and the impact they have on our woodlands, crops and vehicles. Defra’s agencies and wider stakeholders consider that deer are more abundant and widespread now than at any time in the past 1,000 years.

Deer

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Deer management strategy, published on 4 August 2022, what her Department's expected timescale is for responding to the consultation.

Trudy Harrison: Consultation responses have been collated, analysed and fed into the development of the deer management strategy. I cannot provide an exact date for the publication of the Government response to the consultation, but I can reassure the Hon Member that it is being progressed and it is our intention to publish as soon as we are in a position to do so.

Climate Change: Rural Areas

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to (a) measure and (b) mitigate the impact of climate change on the rural economy.

Trudy Harrison: The government published the third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) in January 2022 identifying 61 climate risks and opportunities, informed by an independent assessment undertaken by the Climate Change Committee (CCC). For each of the 61 climate risks and opportunities, an assessment of the urgency of further action was conducted based on global warming scenarios of 2ºC and 4ºC. The extent and distribution of future climate impacts in the UK are uncertain. That is why the government is taking decisive action to adapt to climate change now while addressing uncertainties through research and monitoring. The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), published 17th July 2023, marks the start of an actively-managed programme to mitigate climate risks across sectors and monitor progress and delivery of the actions set out in the document.

Dogs: Yoga

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of puppy yoga on animal welfare.

Trudy Harrison: Defra maintains strong working relationships with key animal welfare organisations and sector groups. These relationships ensure that the department is kept abreast of developments in the pet sector especially where there is evidence of an emerging welfare issue. Where appropriate, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) can be used to protect the welfare of animals in such settings as puppy yoga classes. The 2006 Act makes it an offence for anyone responsible for an animal to cause it unnecessary suffering, or to fail to provide for its welfare in line with current best practice.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June to Question 187499 on Horses: Animal Welfare, how many times she has met with the (a) British Horseracing Authority and (b) the Horse Welfare Board since 2018; and what discussions she has held with those organisations on horse welfare.

Trudy Harrison: Ministers and Defra officials have regular meetings with the British Horseracing Authority and others involved in the equine sector to discuss the welfare of horses. Lord Benyon has met a number of bodies representing equine sports on frequent occasions including speaking at the National Equine Forum in March 2023, and having meetings with vets and welfare bodies.

Clean Air Zones

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects the Joint Air Quality Unit to issue evaluation guidance to Local Authorities on how NO2 compliance will be determined for the purpose of clean air zones.

Trudy Harrison: The Joint Air Quality Unit is working closely with local authorities that are part of the NO2 Programme. A comprehensive suite of guidance has already been issued to Local Authorities on 28 June, covering a range of issues including how JAQU will determine the success of Local Authority NO2 Air Quality Plans. The Joint Air Quality Unit has also held a workshop with Local Authorities to go through this guidance on 5 July 2023.

Companies: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Global Resources Initiative Final Recommendations Report, published in March 2020, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendation in that Report that the Government urgently introduces a mandatory due diligence obligation on companies that place commodities and derived products that contribute to deforestation on the UK market; if she will make it her policy to introduce this in the deforestation due diligence schedule under the Environment Act 2021; and if she will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: Following consultation in August 2020 and building on recommendations from the GRI, the UK Government introduced world-leading legislation through the Environment Act to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. This is one part of a wider package of measures to improve the sustainability of our supply chains and will contribute to global efforts to protect forests and other ecosystems. The Environment Act provisions will make it illegal for larger businesses operating in the UK to use key forest risk commodities produced on land illegally occupied or used. Businesses in scope will also be required to undertake a due diligence exercise on their supply chains, to assess and mitigate the risk of regulated commodities having been produced on land illegally owned and used, and to report on this exercise annually. To ensure transparency, information about businesses' due diligence exercises will be published. Businesses in scope that do not comply with these requirements may be subject to fines and other civil sanctions. This law will help us to ensure there is no place on our supermarket shelves for commodities that have been grown on land illegally occupied or used and to support other countries to strengthen and enforce their forest protection measures. The Government ran a second consultation from 3 December 2021 to 11 March 2022 to seek views on the details of regulations that will implement the Environment Act provisions, to ensure that these are designed effectively. We published a summary of responses to this consultation on 1 June 2022 and are committed to implementing due diligence provisions at the earliest opportunity through secondary legislation.

Farms: Westmorland and Lonsdale

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) upland and (b) lowland farms there are in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

Mark Spencer: Based on the farms which are registered with Defra for either subsidy purposes or for livestock keeping requirements, statistical estimates of the number of farms with significant levels of farming activity* show there were 819 upland farms and 195 lowland farms in the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in 2021. * Data only covers holdings which are registered with the Rural Payments Agency for payments or livestock purposes and have significant levels of farming activity (as recorded in responses to the Defra June Survey of Agriculture or the Cattle Tracing System). Holdings are only included if they have more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.

Deep Sea Mining: Environmental Impact Assessment

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent environmental impact assessment his Department has made of deep-sea mining; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: The UK recognises the growing pressure to extract deep-sea resources and is deeply concerned about the potential impacts of mining activities on the fragile marine environment. Through the UK’s sponsorship of academic research and existing exploration licences, over 70 peer-reviewed publications supporting a greater understanding of environmental issues associated with deep-sea mining have already been produced, with more to come. The Government (UKRI-NERC) is also funding the SMARTEX project on seabed mining and resilience to experimental impact, which aims to build a better understanding of the ecosystem in the Pacific abyss. The Government commissioned an independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University to provide a comprehensive description of current research related to deep-sea mining. It includes elements such as environmental, economic and societal considerations, and identifies key outstanding questions and evidence gaps. The terms of reference and a summary of the evidence review were published in October 2022.  Informed by evidence, we continue to contribute to discussions on deep-seabed mining at the International Seabed Authority (ISA). We have agreed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless or until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and strong and enforceable environmental standards have been developed by the International Seabed Authority and are in place. The UK’s approach is both precautionary and conditional.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Dahua Technology and Hikvision

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

Mark Spencer: As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not Government policy to comment on the Government’s security arrangements. This includes any specific details regarding the make and model of security systems, which are withheld on national security grounds. Each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions. However, I would refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022, which set out that Departments had been instructed to disconnect surveillance equipment from core departmental networks where it is subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure that staff in her Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Mark Spencer: Defra follows Civil Service HR’s wider model discipline policy and ensures the utmost care is taken to ensure the identity of those under investigation for misconduct is managed in the strictest confidence, prior to, during and after investigations. This includes applying GDPR regulations which are clear on who should be permitted access and strict confidentiality markings. All those involved in investigations and the handling of misconduct cases are aware of the sensitivity of the information they have access to and the importance of ensuring it remains in strictest confidence. Defra’s disciplinary policy sits alongside a separate Whistleblowing/Raising a Concern Policy in line with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Animal Welfare

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals on (a) livestock worrying, (b) puppy and kitten smuggling, (c) the import of dogs and cats with illegal mutilations and (d) cat and dog abduction.

Trudy Harrison: We are committed to taking forward measures formerly in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. We have listened carefully to views expressed on these measures and this approach will enable us to take this feedback into further consideration when delivering these measures.

Dangerous Dogs

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many American Bully XL dogs were seized by the police in each year since 2013.

Trudy Harrison: The police are not required to report this to us, and we do not hold this data. Any information on the seizure of dogs will be held by individual local authorities and police forces.

Trees: Conservation

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the progress report by the Committee on Climate Change entitled Progress in reducing emissions, published on June 2023, what actions she is taking to increase tree canopy cover.

Trudy Harrison: The England Trees Action Plan sets out measures to achieve our statutory target to reach 16.5% canopy cover in England by 2050. Its delivery is supported by over £673 million under the Nature for Climate Fund. In 2022/23, over 3,600 hectares of trees were planted in England; the highest since 2005/06. The Nature for Climate Fund directly supported over 2,400 hectares of planting, more than double that of last year. Community Forests and the England Woodland Creation Offer were the highest contributors.

Canal and River Trust: Finance

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what grant funding she plans to give the Canal and River Trust in each year from 2023/24 to 2026/27.

Rebecca Pow: Providing performance standards are met, the Canal & River Trust will receive grant payments from Defra (rounded to the nearest £100,000) of £52.6m per annum for each year from 2023/24 to 2026/27, a total £210.4m.

Canal and River Trust: Finance

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much grant funding was awarded to the Canal and River Trust in each year from 2011/12..

Rebecca Pow: The Canal & River Trust was established in 2012 and since then has received the following grant payments (rounded to the nearest £100,000) paid in quarterly instalments. 2012/13£39.0m2013/14£39.0m2014/15£39.0m2015/16£49.6m2016/17£50.0m2017/18£50.1m2018/19£51.3m2019/20£51.9m2020/21£52.6m2021/22£52.6m2022/23£52.6m2023/24*£52.6m* *Paid so far in quarters 1 and 2 of 2023/24, a total of £52.6m will be paid by the end of this financial year.

Canal and River Trust: Finance

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, If she will publish the submissions made by representative bodies with her Department engaged during the review of the Canal and River Trust grant.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal and River Trust, HCWS924, what the certain conditions are that have to be met for a new long term funding package.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the (a) health, (b) wellbeing, (c) environmental and (d) levelling up benefits of healthy and accessible waterways of the level of future funding for the Canal and River Trust.

Rebecca Pow: The report on the review of the grant agreement between the Government and the Canal and River Trust (C&RT) was published on the gov.uk website on 11 July, available here.

Fly-tipping

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the number of active illegal waste sites.

Rebecca Pow: At the end of Q4 2022/23 April this year, the Environment Agency (EA) was aware of 415 active illegal waste sites in England. In the last three years the EA has stopped over 2,500 illegal waste sites. The EA tackles illegal waste sites by taking an intelligence-led approach to prevent and disrupt criminality and by prioritising enforcement action on the offending that poses the greatest threat, risk and harm.

Waste Disposal

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of waste disposal in England.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's oversight of the waste industry.

Rebecca Pow: Defra’s Resources and Waste Strategy sets two overarching objectives: to maximise the value of resource use; and to minimise waste and its impact on the environment. The waste industry is a key partner in helping deliver those two objectives and we work closely and constructively with it.

Recycling

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to increase recycling rates.

Rebecca Pow: The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December 2018, set out our plans to preserve material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy. The strategy announced the three Collection and Packaging Reforms: Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR); Deposit Return Scheme (DRS); and consistency in household and business recycling in England.

Fundão Tailing Dam: Disasters

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has met her Brazilian counterpart to discuss the Mariana Dam disaster.

Trudy Harrison: The Secretary of State has not discussed the Mariana Dam disaster with her Brazilian counterpart.

Department for Business and Trade

Deep Sea Mining

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems of the draft exploitation regulations under the International Seabed Authority Mining Code.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK is fully engaged in the ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council and Assembly, to agree deep sea mining exploitation regulations. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office leads the UK delegation to the ISA. The UK’s policy is not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and strong enforceable environmental Regulations, Standards and Guidelines have been developed by the ISA and are in place. The UK’s approach is both precautionary and conditional. The Government commissioned an independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University. The review was published in October 2022 and is available here: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review-published/

Department for Business and Trade: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to ensure that staff in her Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Nigel Huddleston: Departmental policies follow the Civil Service HR’s wider model discipline policy. This states that ‘everyone involved in the disciplinary process is expected to maintain confidentiality at all times – including once the process has been concluded’. Not following Departmental policy can lead to disciplinary action.In some instances, other individuals, such as essential operational teams (Security and HR) or witnesses involved in the investigation process may need to be made aware of the name of staff who are under investigation.This sits alongside a separate Whistleblowing/Raising a Concern Policy in line with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Voucher Schemes

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a minimum time period after which gift cards can expire.

Kevin Hollinrake: Whilst there is no legal minimum term for the validity of gift cards, the Government has worked with the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association (GCVA) to encourage businesses to use expiry dates of at least two years and has made it clear that retailers should be transparent about the terms and conditions offered to consumers including card expiry dates. We asked the Law Commission to consider the issue of gift card and voucher expiry terms and they concluded that there was not a need to introduce additional measures in this area.

Trade Agreements: Gulf States

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with the Gulf Cooperation Council on including gender equality provisions in negotiations for a future Free Trade Agreement.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the inclusion of gender equality provisions in a future Free Trade Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to advancing women’s economic empowerment globally, and Free Trade Agreements can help to address barriers faced disproportionately by women in trade. In UK-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations we seek to: promote women’s access to the FTA’s full benefits and opportunities as workers, business owners, entrepreneurs and consumers; recognise the importance of advancing women’s economic empowerment in trade; and uphold existing commitments relating to gender equality. The UK and GCC are negotiating on these issues, and the Secretary of State has raised them with her counterparts, including during her visit to the GCC in May.

Industry

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of producing a new industrial strategy.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is focused on action and has a clear plan to grow the economy and support high growth industries. The Chancellor has identified five key sectors: Digital Technologies, Green Industries, Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Creative Industries. Delivering growth in these sectors is a priority, and government has announced a £500 million per year package for 20,000 research and development intensive businesses and a £650 million war chest to fire up the UK’s sciences sector.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Ministers

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member was not agreed to by (a) a Minister and (b) their office on behalf of a Minister in the last 12 months.

Michael Tomlinson: This information is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Ministers will regularly seek to engage with hon. Members, whilst balancing wider Ministerial and Parliamentary responsibilities.

Attorney General: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, whether she is taking steps to ensure that staff in her Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Michael Tomlinson: HR services for the Attorney General's Office are provided by the Government Legal Department (GLD). All relevant GLD policies align with the Civil Service's model discipline policy. That makes clear that disciplinary matters are strictly confidential.

Attorney General: Artificial Intelligence

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Attorney General, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems her Department uses; and for what purposes.

Michael Tomlinson: The Attorney General's Office does not use any algorithmic or other automated decision-making systems.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Members: Correspondence

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford of 13 April 2023, reference ZA49936.

Lee Rowley: I apologise for the delay in responding to the Hon. Member's correspondence. The department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from Honourable Members. A response was issued on 21 July 2023.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Psilocybin

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he is taking steps to support (a) businesses and (b) universities in Northern Ireland to conduct research into psilocybin.

Mr Steve Baker: Support for businesses and universities in Northern Ireland to conduct research is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy. However, the Government is committed to supporting economic growth and driving transformational investment in Northern Ireland. In conjunction with Invest Northern Ireland and local partners, the UK Government will host the Northern Ireland Investment Summit in Belfast in September to showcase Northern Ireland’s internationally renowned sectors, including advanced manufacturing, software and technology, financial & professional services and emerging life & health sciences sector.

Northern Ireland Office: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he is taking steps to ensure that staff in his Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office follows the MoJ policies which adhere to the Civil Service HR's wider model discipline policy. The policy and guidance makes it clear that investigations into alleged misconduct are strictly confidential. This sits alongside a separate Northern Ireland Office Whistleblowing / Raising a Concern Policy in line with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts Council England: Freedom of Expression

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Arts Council England on steps to promote freedom of speech and conscience in that organisation.

Sir John Whittingdale: Ministers and officials regularly meet the leadership of Arts Council England (ACE) to discuss a range of matters. As an arm’s-length body of the Department, ACE is operationally independent and, like all the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's arm’s-length bodies, is responsible for complying with legislation, including the Equality Act 2010, under which religion or belief is a protected characteristic.Darren Henley, Arts Council England’s Chief Executive, was clear to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 8 December 2022 about Arts Council England’s commitment to respecting and protecting all those with protected characteristics. Arts Council England has a number of policies in place that protect freedom of conscience within the organisation.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to sub-target two of the Greening Government Commitments reporting requirements for 2021 to 2025 last updated on 15 December 2022, whether his Department follows the encouragement in that guidance to (a) monitor and (b) report on the number of domestic flights for which his Department is responsible each year; and how many domestic flights were taken by Ministers in her Department in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

David Rutley: Under the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) 2021 to 2025 framework reporting requirements, departments and partner organisations are required to report the total distance travelled by domestic business flights [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025/greening-government-commitments-reporting-requirements-for-2021-to-2025#operational-targets-and-commitments]. In-year carbon conversion factors will be used to arrive at the total emissions from each department's domestic business flights. This will be published in future GGC annual reports. Departments and partner organisations are encouraged to report on the total number of domestic business flights to further our understanding of journey types.This voluntary reporting is not required to demonstrate delivery of the sub-target to reduce emissions from domestic business flights by 30 per cent.The sub-target to reduce emissions from domestic flights includes ministerial flights but these are not disaggregated in reporting under the GGCs.The FCDO Annual Report and Accounts for 2022-23 and 2021-22 linked below provides the details on the number of domestic flights taken in the year in addition to comparing emissions against prior years in relation to the GGCs.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1095304/FCDO_Annual_Report_2021_2022_Accessible_290722.pdfhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170838/Foreign-Commonwealth-and-Development-Office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023.pdf

West Bank: Security

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Palestinian on security control in Jenin.

David Rutley: We continue to closely monitor the security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The Foreign Secretary discussed the security situation in Jenin in his call with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on 5 July. We unequivocally support the Palestinian Authority's independent role in securing Area A of the West Bank, as agreed in Oslo. The UK continues to support the Palestinian Authority to develop capable, responsible security forces that respect human rights and are accountable to the Palestinian people. We call on the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel to cooperate in securing the safety and protection of civilians across the OPTs.

Gaza: Food Aid

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implication for his policies of a suspension of food assistance to families in Gaza by the World Food Programme; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: We continue to monitor the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UK is a key donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), providing essential humanitarian support to Palestinian refugees across its five zones of operation. In financial year 2022/2023, the UK provided UNRWA with £18.7 million, including £13 million for UNRWA's Programme Budget for spend in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), Jordan, Lebanon and Syria; as well as £2 million for an employment programme for Gazan women and £3.7 million for food assistance, both under UNRWA's OPTs Emergency Appeal. The UK is not currently a donor to the World Food Programme in Gaza, but recognises the critical role they play in supporting vulnerable families to have access to sufficient food.

Israel: Terrorism

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart about the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv on 4 July 2023.

David Rutley: During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon expressed his condolences over the terror attack that took place in Tel Aviv earlier that day. The Foreign Secretary also expressed his condolences about this terror attack when he spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on 5 July. We are appalled by terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. There can be no justification for such acts of violence. Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in peace and security. We understand and share the deep frustration on all sides at the lack of progress on the Middle East Peace Process. Ongoing violence underlines that a just and lasting resolution that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue.

Department of Health and Social Care

UK National Screening Committee: Finance

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of and (b) funding available to the UK National Screening Committee.

Will Quince: The range and expertise of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) members has been reviewed and adapted since the remit of the UK NSC expanded last year following the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendations. The capacity of the UK NSC Secretariat has been re-evaluated in that context. Recruitment is currently underway for additional staff to support the work of the UK NSC.

Ovarian Cancer

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: NHS England’s National Disease Registration Service, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England.There were 6,111 diagnoses of ovarian cancer in 2020. This figure is taken from the published national statistics publication, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2020There were 6,527 diagnoses in 2021 and 6,451 diagnoses in 2022. These figures are not yet finalised and are taken from the rapid cancer registration data set, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/covid-19-rcrd-and-treatment-dataData on the number of people diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England before 2020 is available publicly at the CancerData website.

Haemochromatosis: Screening

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recommendation 17 of the UK National Screening Committee's recommendations on screening for genetic haemochromatosis in adults, published 5 March 2021, when the UK National Screening Committee plans to arrange a stakeholder workshop focusing on potential research questions for reviews of screening for haemochromatosis; and whether he plans to invite patient stakeholder groups to this workshop.

Will Quince: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has a new expert research and methodology group (RMG) which offers support and advice to researchers and patient stakeholder groups on how best to influence screening recommendations. The RMG and the UK NSC Secretariat will organise a stakeholder research meeting as soon as practicable to discuss screening for haemochromatosis.

Rare Diseases: Diagnosis

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2023: main report, updated on 10 July 2023, what steps his Department is taking to end the diagnostic odyssey experienced by people with rare diseases.

Will Quince: Helping patients get a final diagnosis faster is one of the four priorities of the 2021 UK Rare Diseases Framework, and we have committed to several actions to address this priority. For example, in the 2023 England Rare Diseases Action Plan we committed to commissioning policy research through a National Institute for Health and Care Research open call, inviting researchers to develop an effective method for measuring the time to diagnosis for both genetic and non-genetic rare conditions, with input from the rare diseases community. This will allow us to establish a baseline time to diagnosis, understand the effects of policy interventions on length of the diagnostic odyssey and provide a basis for working with the National Health Service to identify and address challenges in delivering diagnoses faster.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Babies

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the UK National Screening Committee has had recent discussions with (a) patient organisations, (b) patients and (c) families affected by spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) as part of its review of incorporating SMA within the NHS newborn screening programme.

Will Quince: As part of the UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) work to review newborn screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the UK NSC secretariat has held multiple stakeholder engagement activities where stakeholders have helped formulate evidence work.The UK NSC last met with the SMA Alliance earlier in July and responded recently to correspondence about screening for SMA. The UK NSC will continue to actively engage with patient organisations and provide updates as far as is possible within the bounds of the published process of the UK NSC as an independent scientific advisory committee.

Babies: Screening

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the horizon scanning capabilities of the UK National Screening Committee and (b) increase alignment between National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations and newborn screening decisions.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ask the UK National Screening Committee to publish its methods, processes and criteria for reviewing conditions to be included in the NHS newborn screening programme.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the UK National Screening Committee is taking to review its methods, processes and criteria to ensure they are appropriate for assessing rare conditions.

Will Quince: Information about the UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) methods, processes and criteria for reviewing conditions are all publicly available on its website.The UK NSC Secretariat already has significant horizon scanning capabilities: it has connections and talks to key clinicians, users, and stakeholder groups; it liaises with colleagues at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence when a screening proposal is mooted; it holds and attends regular meetings with international colleagues; and it maintains an article alert service. It also receives many approaches from researchers active in the screening and mass testing areas.The four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers recently recommended expanding the UK NSC’s remit to increase its capabilities and scope, and the independent body has been working over the past year to implement these changes. Among the additional processes to ensure the UK NSC is appraised of what is on the horizon is the blood spot task group to help it identify practical and innovative approaches to the development and evaluation of evidence, and its new research and methodology group, which is made up of academics with multiple connections to research in screening and testing.The UK NSC Secretariat is currently recruiting additional staff, including a new horizon scanning lead, which will further increase its ability to sift and assess evidence and make high quality recommendations even within the constraints of limited evidence bases, such as exists with rare diseases.

Joint Replacements: Health Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits and (b) implications for his Department's policies of the Joint Replacement Support Package created by Versus Arthritis.

Will Quince: The recommendations made in Versus Arthritis’s Joint Replacement Support Package have been factored into NHS England’s planning for the care and support needed by people with arthritis waiting for treatment.NHS England has also embedded Versus Arthritis’s ‘Let’s Move for Surgery’ toolkit on the My Planned Care website, which helps people waiting for surgery, and includes appropriate physical activity, help with managing pain and mental health support. The toolkit is available at the following link:https://www.myplannedcare.nhs.uk/care-support/

Drugs: Side Effects

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rate is of hospital admissions from suspected adverse drug reactions.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Babies

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to monitor the National Screening Committee’s progress on reviewing the case for including Spinal Muscular Atrophy in the NHS newborn screening programme; and what his timetable is for making a decision on that matter.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the UK National Screening Committee has made on reviewing the case for including Spinal Muscular Atrophy in the NHS newborn screening programme, and what that Committee's timeline is for making a final recommendation.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ask the UK National Screening Committee to publish indicative timelines for its review of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK National Screening Committee’s timelines for reviewing the case for including Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in the NHS newborn screening programme on patients and families with SMA where symptoms are yet to present.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the UK National Screening Committee plans to review the evidence generated by Oxford University from its Thames Valley pilot within the Committee’s own population-based study on Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to expedite the process for publishing minutes from UK National Screening Committee meetings.

Will Quince: The review of whether to screen for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is under active consideration. At the June UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) meeting this was tabled for discussion. Minutes of this meeting are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-meeting-june-2023/uk-nsc-minutes-june-2023The UK NSC supported the proposal to commission a cost effectiveness modelling study and to start planning a high-quality in-service evaluation to support a UK NSC recommendation. Due to these new decisions made at the June meeting, no timetable has yet been developed.As per the UK NSC’s published process, the committee will hold a three-month public consultation on SMA inviting stakeholders and members of the public to comment and submit further evidence for consideration. It will keep the public abreast of developments via its blogs and ongoing stakeholder engagement activities.

Department of Health and Social Care: Wave Trust

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of working directly with the WAVE Trust 70/30 campaign.

Neil O'Brien: The 1,001 critical days from conception to the age of two set the foundations for an individual’s cognitive, emotional and physical development. That is why the Government is investing around £300 million to improve support for babies, children and families through the joint Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. The safeguarding of children and young people is also an important part of the National Health Service’s role. This is why we have also published and disseminated a working definition of trauma-informed practice for the health and care sector. In England, at the local authority level, the police, integrated care board and local authority are under a statutory duty to make arrangements to work together, and with other partners locally, to safeguard children in their area. Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care would be happy to meet with the WAVE Trust to discuss our joint commitment to giving every baby the best start in life.

Probiotics: Labelling

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the term probiotic being used as an ingredient descriptor on (a) food and (b) food supplement labels.

Neil O'Brien: ‘Probiotic’ is a term used to describe live bacteria used in food and food supplements. The current Regulation governs the use of nutrition and health claims on foods to protect consumers from being misled, by ensuring that any health claims made are backed by substantiated scientific evidence. Under the Regulation, the term ‘probiotic’ can be considered a non-specific health claim, as it suggests a relationship between the substance and health. It can already be used, providing it is accompanied by an approved health claim for the specific strain of live bacteria. No further assessment of merit has been undertaken although the Department continues to engage with industry on any potential future application for new assessment. To date the Department has not received any application for approving claims on specific strains of live bacteria. Companies would be required to include the specific strain in the ingredient listing.

Nitrous Oxide: Health Services

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of (a) physical and (b) mental healthcare for nitrous oxide users.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.The Independent Review of Drugs led by Dame Carol Black highlighted the challenges people using drugs experience in accessing mental and physical health treatment and made a number of recommendations to improve this. The Government’s 10-year drug strategy is the formal, substantive response to the Independent Review of Drugs and accepts all its main recommendations, including the recommendations to improve the provision of high-quality mental and physical healthcare treatment for people with substance misuse conditions.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average length is of waiting lists for registering with an NHS dentist in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) England.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally. Unlike general medical practitioners’ patients, dental patients are not registered to a particular practice. A dental practice can accept a patient for a course of treatment if they have capacity to deliver that treatment.

Tobacco: Regulation

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to oppose restrictions on access to reduced-risk tobacco products at the Tenth Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Neil O'Brien: As at all events at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we will use the opportunity to speak about the United Kingdom’s progress on the implementation of tobacco control policies. This will include, where relevant, the role of nicotine replacement therapy and vapes in supporting people to quit all forms of tobacco. All the COP papers and decisions during the COP are available at the following link: https://fctc.who.int/who-fctc/governance/conference-of-the-parties/tenth-session-of-the-conference-of-the-parties

Dental Services

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to publish a dental recovery plan.

Neil O'Brien: We are currently working on a plan for dentistry, to be published shortly, to improve access to dental care across England. There are several fronts where we need to take further action to support and recover activity in National Health Service dentistry, to improve access to care for all ages.Our plan for dentistry will build upon the first package of reforms agreed in July 2022, which included changes to banding and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity value, and the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which committed to increasing dentistry training places by 40% so that there are over 1,100 places by 2031/32.Our plan will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients, and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.

Mental Health Services: Equality

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce racial disparities in (a) mental health services and (b) experiences of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is aware that there are racial disparities in mental health services and in people’s experiences of the Mental Health Act 1983. Black people are over four times more likely to be detained than white people and eleven times more likely to put on a Community Treatment Order.Under the Public Sector Equality Duty, National Health Service organisations have a responsibility to eliminate discrimination and to advance equality, including in relation to race. The Department expects all NHS organisations - including those delivering mental health services - to comply with the Duty, and to go further where appropriate.The Advancing Mental Health Equalities (AMHE) strategy published by NHS England in 2020 helps set expectations for providers and commissioners to identify opportunities and drive forwards improvements to address inequalities in access to and experience of mental health services. As part of this, NHS England is also rolling out the Patient and Carer Race Equalities Framework, an organisational competency framework for all NHS mental health trusts which will help tackle inequalities in access, experience and outcomes for people from ethnic minority groups. Following on from the Independent Review of the MHA (published in 2018), Government published a draft Mental Health Bill in June 2022 and has signalled its intention to legislate when Parliamentary time allows. The draft Bill contains provisions to give individuals much more of a say in their care and treatment, will increase the support available from independent advocates, and allow people subject to the Act to choose the person they want to represent their interests. We are also taking forward non-legislative work to address disparities, and have piloted new forms of more tailored, culturally appropriate advocacy.

Mental Health Services

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to incorporate mental health support and prevention in the Major Conditions Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: Mental Health is one of the group of conditions included in the Major Conditions Strategy. The strategy will aim to identify actions in the areas of prevention, treatment and long term management of care to improve outcomes for individuals across the six major condition groups.

Long Covid: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of how many people aged over 50 are suffering from long covid.

Maria Caulfield: No recent estimate has been made.The last published estimate from the Office of National Statistics is that for the four-week period ending 5 March 2023, 960,000 people in private households in the United Kingdom over the age of 50 reported experiencing long COVID symptoms.

Brain Cancer: Screening

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals requiring that brain tumour tissue used for (a) biopsy and (b) analysis is frozen rather than stored in paraffin blocks.

Will Quince: No assessment has been made.

Home Office

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants for compensation under the Windrush compensation scheme died while waiting for a decision on their application.

Robert Jenrick: The Windrush Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure where they are aware of claimants with critical or life-limiting illnesses, their cases are prioritised.In the unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation claim, but before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely with the appointed representative, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible to the family member.The latest Transparency data is available at Gov.UK: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: May 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Please note that this data is manually recorded and is reliant on the person receiving the information on a claimant’s death, notifying the Windrush Compensation Scheme to record this information.

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Northern Ireland

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last discussed the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme with tourism agencies in Northern Ireland,.

Robert Jenrick: Home Office officials last had discussion with tourism agencies in Northern Ireland and Ireland about the Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme on 7 June 2023.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the progress of the Windrush compensation scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The victims of the Windrush scandal suffered terrible injustices, and this Government remains steadfast in our commitment to do everything in our power to right the wrongs. We are determined to ensure everyone who was affected receives every penny of the compensation to which they are entitled at the earliest point possible. The Windrush Compensation Scheme is making significant progress towards achieving this aim. As at the end of May 2023 the scheme had paid or offered more than £75 million in compensation and over 66% of claims received by the end of May 2023 had been given a final decision. Since its launch, the Home Office has continued to listen and respond to feedback from affected communities and stakeholders about how the Scheme operates and its accessibility. The changes made to the Scheme in December 2020 and August 2022, mean people receive significantly more money more quickly. Last year redesigned claim forms were published along with refreshed casework guidance, with the aim of reducing the time taken to process claims and improving individuals’ experiences of applying to the Scheme. Changes were also made to the Homelessness category and a new ‘Living Costs’ category was created, to compensate close family members for certain contributions to a primary claimant’s living costs. These significant and positive policy changes were made following consultation with claimants and stakeholders.

Overseas Students: Visas

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to share with universities the number of dependents linked to an individual's study visa.

Robert Jenrick: Information related to applications and dependants is contained across multiple systems and we do not publish data relating to the number of dependants per student by institution.Universities have a direct relationship with their students during the academic application and enrolment process and the Home Office encourages institutions to use these mechanisms if they wish to gather data regarding family members of students.We keep our immigration policies under constant review to ensure they serve the UK’s best interests and reflect our priorities.

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Northern Ireland

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last discussed the Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme with the Northern Ireland Office.

Robert Jenrick: Home Office and Northern Ireland Office Ministers and officials are in regular contact on a range of mutual interests, including the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme.

Defending Democracy Taskforce

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans for the Defending Democracy Taskforce to publish an (a) plan of action and (b) report on its conclusions.

Tom Tugendhat: As set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, the Defending Democracy Taskforce is now an enduring Government function. It is a cross-departmental and inter-agency initiative seeking to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from foreign influence. The Taskforce is working on bringing together all components of the system, working across Government and with Parliament, the UK Intelligence Community, devolved governments, local authorities, the private sector and civil society on the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions. Meetings of the Taskforce are complemented by wider engagement with partners outside central government and Parliament. The Taskforce will continue to use targeted engagement activities to raise awareness of the Taskforce’s priorities in tackling current and future threats. The work of this Taskforce reports to the Prime Minister via the National Security Council.

Defending Democracy Taskforce

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Defending Democracy Taskforce plans to make an assessment of whether foreign powers may seek to influence political parties through covert donations.

Tom Tugendhat: UK electoral law sets out a stringent regime of controls on donations to political parties to ensure that only those with a legitimate interest in UK elections can make donations. Donations from foreign powers – made directly or indirectly – are illegal, and there are strong rules safeguarding against impermissible donations via backdoors.It is an offence to attempt to evade the rules on donations by concealing information, giving false information, or knowingly facilitating the making of an impermissible donation.The National Security Act 2023 will create a challenging operating environment for foreign states who seek to undermine UK interests – including our political system. The Act provides for substantially increased maximum penalties for electoral offences relevant to donation rules, where activity is done for, on behalf or with the intention to benefit a foreign power.The Government has committed to taking forward a consultation on ways to enhance information-sharing between relevant agencies or public bodies to help to identify and mitigate the risk of foreign interference in political donations that are regulated by electoral law. This will be taken forward by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and be supported by the Defending Democracy Taskforce.The Defending Democracy Taskforce’s mission statement is to reduce the risk to the UK’s democratic processes, institutions, and society. This includes protecting the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference. We continue to keep potential threats under review, including foreign interference in public office and political parties, to ensure UK democracy remains robust.

Human Rights: Hong Kong

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to protect Hong Kong human rights activists in the UK.

Tom Tugendhat: We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. While it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on security and intelligence matters, where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate. The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.

Lone Parents: Finance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an equality impact assessment of the potential impact of the no recourse to public funds condition on single mothers.

Robert Jenrick: The Government published an overarching Equality Impact Assessment on the Compliant Environment measures, of which the NRPF is part, earlier this year: Compliant environment: overarching equality impact assessment (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Asylum

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have applied for asylum after arriving on a short term visitor visa in each year since 2015.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals have (a) overstayed their visitor visa and (b) remained in the UK without returning to their country of origin in each year since 2015.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the entry method of all individuals seeking asylum is not published. However, analysis from the Migrant journey: 2022 report estimates that around 14% of people claiming asylum in 2022 held another form of leave within 7 days of lodging their application.Additionally, the Home Office publishes data on the proportion of people who are known to have departed the UK before their visa expired in the ‘Reports on statistics relating to exit checks’. Data broken down by visa type are published in table 1 of the Exit Checks data tables. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2020.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Asylum: Hotels

Sir Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels are housing asylum seekers in (a) Bournemouth West constituency, (b) Bournemouth East constituency, (c) Poole constituency, (d) Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency, (e) Southampton Itchen constituency, (f) Southampton Test constituency and (g) Romsey constituency; and how many asylum seekers are housed in each of those constituencies.

Robert Jenrick: The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets opens in a new tab), under the document Asylum seekers in receipt of support (second edition). Data are published on a quarterly basis, with the next quarterly figures due to be released 24 August 2023.

Asylum: Children

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children from Leicester East constituency were being held in an asylum processing centre on 1 July 2023.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many adults from Leicester East constituency were being held in an asylum processing centre on 1 July 2023.

Robert Jenrick: There are no asylum processing centres in the United Kingdom.

Refugees: Loans

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason refugee integration loans are interest free.

Robert Jenrick: The loans ensure that those refugees with the greatest integration needs are able to get financial assistance to obtain specific items or activities that will help address those needs. As the payments take the form of a loan, money recovered can be recycled to ensure a continuous fund for new refugees.

Asylum: Applications

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192551 on Asylum: Applications, how many asylum application decision-makers were employed on (a) 12 July 2023 and (b) 12 July 2021.

Robert Jenrick: We have more than doubled our decision makers over the last 2 years, and we are continuing to recruit more. This will take the headcount of our expected number of decision makers to 2,500 by September 2023. As of 01 May 2023, there are 1,280 full time equivalent (FTE) Asylum Decision Makers. This information is published online: Statistics relating to the Illegal Migration Bill - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note that this data is provisional and includes the number of asylum decision makers employed from the beginning of each month from August 2019 – May 2023. Finalised data for April to June 2023 is due to be published on 24 August 2023 in the Migration Transparency release (Immigration and Protection table, Asy_05(M)).

Asylum: Hotels

Sir Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the break date is for the contracts between her Department and hotels in Bournemouth for housing asylum claimants.

Sir Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the end date is in the contracts between her Department and hotels in Bournemouth housing asylum claimants.

Robert Jenrick: The enduring solution is to stop the illegal, dangerous, and unnecessary small boat crossings that are overwhelming our asylum system. The Home Office works tirelessly, alongside other government departments, to reduce the Government’s dependency on hotels for contingency accommodation through a package of long-term and short-term measures. Hotels are on a rolling contract and in the event we decommission a site, there is a notice period to ensure that our accommodation providers can safely relocate residents.We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded

Immigration: EU Nationals

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals born in the UK between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006 to a British citizen father and an EU citizen mother have (a) submitted applications for naturalisation as their parents were unmarried at the time of their birth and (b) been granted British citizenship.

Robert Jenrick: The data is not available. Immigration statistics are published as Migration statistics. Whilst these include statistics for naturalisation as a British citizen, they do not identify the status of the applicants’ parents.

Asylum: Applications

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192551 on Asylum: Applications, whether her Department records the length of asylum application interviews for each applicant.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192551 on Asylum: Applications, what steps her Department has taken to streamline the processes used when assessing asylum applications.

Robert Jenrick: We have taken immediate action to speed up asylum processing whilst maintaining the integrity of the system. This includes simplifying guidance, reducing interview length and streamlining processes. When they make their asylum claim, all individuals will continue to undergo mandatory security checks during the screening interview. Targeted interviews will concentrate on the individual’s nationality whilst shorter interviews will concentrate on a small number of material facts. These will be much shorter than substantive interviews and are more efficient. There may be occasions where an individual will need to be referred for a substantive interview as is current practice, for example where there are criminality or security, or significant credibility concerns. The duration of the interview is recorded in the interview transcript.

Offenders: Deportation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 191940 on Offenders: Deportation, what proportion of applications for the Facilitated Return Scheme are (a) considered and (b) decided within 20 days.

Robert Jenrick: Information on the proportion of applications for the Facilitated Return Scheme that are (a) considered and (b) decided within 20 days is not available from published statistics.

Asylum

Sir Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information on the number of people awaiting asylum determination in each parliamentary constituency.

Robert Jenrick: Whilst we hold information regarding asylum claimants in each parliamentary constituency, this information is not held in a reportable format.

Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence and Shoplifting

James Sunderland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) tackle gangs of armed shoplifters and (b) protect retail workers.

Chris Philp: Since 2019, we have made available £340m to tackle serious violence. This investment includes the creation of 20 Violence Reduction Units and a Young Women and Girls Fund. These programmes are tackling gang activity and supporting young people who have been affected by it.The Home Office continues to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to ensure the response to crime affecting retailers is as robust as it can be.Katy Bourne, Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Business Crime lead, has established a working group, Pegasus, to tackle serious organised retail crime. Pegasus will bring together policing and the retail sector to share intelligence and analyse serious organised retail crime, to assist police forces to respond to this crime.Police recorded offences in England and Wales (excluding Devon and Cornwall) for shoplifting and all theft offences for year ending December 2022 are showing a fall of 12% and 13% respectively compared with the pre-pandemic period of March 2020.The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates for year ending March 2023 showed a 20% decrease in theft offences compared with estimates from the year ending March 2020 survey.

Recreation Spaces: Fire Prevention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of wildfires starting in urban green spaces.

Chris Philp: The Home Office works closely with other departments and key stakeholders including Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities to mitigate against the risk of wildfire as set out in the Wildfire Framework for England. The framework can be found at Wildfire Framework for England | Fire England. The government recognises the risk that wildfire presents for landscapes and communities and recently wrote to Local Resilience Forums to share lessons and recommendations from the recent 2022 wildfire season. Further actions are set out in the third National Adaptation Plan, which was recently published: Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Home Office: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to ensure that staff in her Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Chris Philp: The Department’s discipline policy makes it clear that the disciplinary process is strictly confidential at all stages. It is our long-standing practice not to identify employees who are subject to disciplinary investigation, either within the Home Office or externally.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Victims

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling families of victims of crime to participate in the process of taking decisions on prisoner release.

Edward Argar: Victims can already participate in the process of considering a prisoner’s release in a number of ways. Any victim, or bereaved family member, of a serious sexual or violent offence where an offender receives a custodial sentence of 12 months, or more is entitled to join the Victim Contact Scheme. Victims who join the Scheme will be allocated a Victim Liaison Officer who will provide the victim with regular updates including key information about how the sentence and release processes operate. Victims can request that the offender on release is subject to specific licence conditions for their safety and peace of mind, such as exclusion zones and non-contact conditions. These requests must be considered by the Probation Service. Where the prisoner’s release is subject to a review by the independent Parole Board then, in addition to requesting licence conditions, victims may also submit a Victim Personal Statement to explain to the Parole Board how the crime has affected the victim and their family. We have committed to going further by allowing victims the opportunity to make written submissions to the Parole Board. Information in the submissions could include their views on the offender’s potential release and questions to the Parole Board. This change will be enshrined in the updated Victims’ Code which is expected to be introduced in 2024. The decision on whether to grant parole is based entirely on risk. Where a victim has information relevant to the assessment of future risk, there are mechanisms in place that enable the victims’ information to be provided to the Parole Board by the Probation Service. This approach protects the victim from being liable to be called as a witness to the parole hearing and subject to questioning by the Panel or the prisoner and/or their legal representative.

Prisoners' Release: Standards

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of checks on decisions made by (a) prison governors and (b) other prison and probation authorities on the release of prisoners.

Edward Argar: Most prisoners are released automatically or by the Parole Board but prisoners serving standard determinate sentences of at least 12 weeks, but less than four years may be considered for release before their automatic release date under the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme. Decisions on HDC are taken on behalf of the Secretary of State by the prison Governor or delegated decision-maker, informed by a report from probation who assess the suitability of release to the proposed address. HDC provides a managed transition from custody to the community for lower risk offenders serving sentences of less than four years. Offenders are released subject to strict licence conditions including electronically monitored curfew and only once a robust risk management plan is in place. The operation of the scheme is kept under review and a new Policy Framework was issued in June 2023. This added specified offences linked to domestic abuse to the list of offences that presume offenders unsuitable for the scheme. This followed changes we made last year to mandate checks with police and children’s services for domestic abuse and safeguarding risk information in all HDC cases. The new Framework, building on learning since it was last issued in 2019, also made the assessment more robust, ensuring account is taken of the risks presented overall, and not just to those at the address; and that all necessary information-sharing takes place before there is a decision to release on HDC.

Solicitors: Recruitment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will take steps to increase the number of duty solicitors.

Edward Argar: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning duty solicitor services and the day-to-day administration of the court and police station duty schemes. This includes keeping membership records, allocating slots, and producing and maintaining duty solicitor rotas.At a national level, the LAA monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis and, where demand is greater than the available supply, takes action to secure additional provision to ensure the continuity of legal aid-funded services.The LAA is satisfied that there continues to be sufficient duty solicitor coverage across England and Wales. Provision under the duty schemes is demand led and so there may be variations in numbers across each local rota or other fluctuations in numbers depending on prevailing market conditions, and other internal factors such as firms merging or other consolidation activity.More generally in relation to criminal legal aid, on 30 November 2022, the government published its full response to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) setting out various proposals to ensure the long-term sustainability of the criminal legal aid sector.This followed the interim response to the CLAIR which introduced a 15% uplift across most fee schemes in line with the recommendations made in the Review. This funding began to come into effect from the end of September 2022, and we subsequently agreed to extend it to the majority of cases already progressing in the Crown Court. Following these reforms, an increase in expenditure of up to £141 million a year will take expected annual criminal legal aid spend to £1.2 billion.Overall, our ambitious reforms will deliver a stronger justice system for all who rely on it. They will reinforce a more sustainable market, with publicly funded criminal defence practice seen as a viable long-term career choice befitting of our world-class legal professionals.

Prisoners' Release: Standards

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made on the effectiveness of the criteria for releasing prisoners who have committed a serious crime.

Edward Argar: This Government has ensured that the courts have the fullest range of sentencing powers available to deal effectively with serious offenders, with release provisions that protect the public. Those who commit the most serious offences may be given a life sentence, where the court sets a minimum period in custody (the tariff) after which the prisoner may be released by the Parole Board only if it is satisfied that detention is no longer necessary to protect the public. Other serious sexual and violent offenders may be given an Extended Determinate Sentence or a Sentence for Offenders of Particular Concern where they must serve their custodial term in full unless the Parole Board assesses they are safe to release before that point, having served at least two-thirds in prison. In the Victims and Prisoners Bill, we are strengthening the test which the Parole Board must apply when considering the release of prisoners. The new test makes clear that protecting the public must be the sole consideration - a prisoner must not be released unless there is no more than minimal risk of the prisoner committing a further offence that would cause serious harm. We also introduced a Serious Terrorism Sentence where a minimum custodial period of 14 years is imposed which must be served in full. Most prisoners serve a standard determinate sentence of imprisonment which, in most cases, means release is automatic at the half-way point on licence for the remainder of the sentence. In the Police Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, for those sentenced to 4 years or more for certain serious sexual and violent offences, we strengthened the provisions to require those offenders to serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison, to better reflect the severity of their crimes. The Act also introduced a new power to prevent the automatic release of prisoners who receive a standard determinate sentence, if they pose a danger to the public.

Asylum: Legal Opinion

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the legal advice available to people making an asylum claim.

Mike Freer: Under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, all immigration advisers must be registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or be regulated by a Designated Qualifying Regulator (DQR). The OISC and the DQRs are responsible for ensuring immigration advisers are fit, competent, and act in their clients’ best interests.The DQRs include legal services representative bodies who designate regulatory responsibilities to legal services regulators. Legal services regulation is independent of Government and the relevant regulators are responsible for ensuring quality and standards for providers of legal advice.The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is a DQR and responsible for the regulation of solicitors and ensuring that all solicitors meet required standards. In November 2022, the SRA published a thematic review of immigration and asylum services as well as updated immigration guidance to help solicitors understand their obligations when providing immigration advice. The guidance is available here: https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/resources/immigration-services/guidance-and-support/.

Ministry of Justice: Artificial Intelligence

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice is still at the early stages of assessing where the uses of algorithmic models and automated decision-making tools might help drive greater efficiency and deliver maximum value for the taxpayer, as part of the Government’s digital transformation journey. Work done to date has primarily been around the use of Actuarial Risk Assessment Instruments (ARAIs) in HM Prisons & Probation Service to assess the risks posed by, and needs of, an offender by combining actuarial methods of prediction with structured professional judgement. The Ministry of Justice recognises that the use of AI in the justice system raises important ethical considerations, such as bias in the data used to train algorithms and the potential for automated decision-making to perpetuate existing inequalities. Therefore, any implementation of AI in the UK Ministry of Justice must be done carefully and transparently, with appropriate safeguards in place. Any use of automated decision making will be done in compliance with provisions in GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, including the right of individuals to request a new decision is made that is not based solely on automated processing.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Artificial Intelligence

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.

Alex Burghart: Algorithmic and automated decision-making systems are broad terms covering a large array of systems and processes. Whilst it would not be appropriate to comment on specific government systems, we can confirm that automated decision making in Government is compliant with provisions in GDPR and the Data Protection Act, which includes the right for a data subject to request ‘a new decision that is not based solely on automated processing.’ Government’s Roadmap to a Digital Future includes digital transformation in Government by ‘automating manual processes’ in order to drive greater efficiency and deliver maximum value for the taxpayer.

Public Sector: Contracts for Services

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what social value criteria the Government considers when awarding public contracts.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what social value criteria the Government considers when awarding public contracts.

Alex Burghart: The Social Value Model launched in January 2021 (PPN 06/20) by this Conservative Government, standardises the assessment of bidder’s proposals for delivering social value outcomes, including tackling economic inequality, creating new businesses, jobs and skills, as well as increasing supply chain resilience and fighting climate change. The Model takes into account factors such as the number of local jobs or apprenticeships a contractor will provide, or the number of SMEs involved in their wider supply chain. At the same time, the Procurement Bill we are introducing also confirms that while value for money remains paramount during contracting, buyers should take into account other relevant wider social and environmental considerations the supplier may bring.

Prime Minister: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister is taking steps to ensure that staff in his Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Jeremy Quin: 10 Downing Street is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 193985.

Cabinet Office: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to ensure that staff in his Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Jeremy Quin: The Department's policies follow the Civil Service HR's wider model discipline policy.This sits alongside a separate Whistleblowing/Raising a Concern Policy in line with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Care Leavers: Government Assistance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of 22 June 2023, Official Report, column 929, what the goals of the care leavers strategy are; when he plans to publish the strategy; what engagement he has had with stakeholders; and whether the strategy is distinct from the Government's response to the consultation on Children’s Social Care National Framework announced by the Department for Education on 2 February 2023.

Johnny Mercer: I am proud to be taking on the role of Cross-Government Care Leaver Lead, championing the interests of care leavers across Government, as I have, and continue to do, for veterans across the country. I shall be working closely with my hon. Friend, the member for East Surrey, to secure improved care leaver outcomes, achieving the missions set out in the Stable Homes, Built on Love implementation strategy. I will have more to say in due course about our work to improve outcomes for this vulnerable cohort of young people.

Blood: Contamination

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2023 to Question 192984 on Blood: Contamination, when he plans to update the House on further interim compensation payments.

Jeremy Quin: Work continues across Government to consider the recommendations in Sir Brian Langstaff's second interim report, including those relating to interim compensation payments. I remain committed to updating the House as soon as is appropriate.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that staff in her Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Nick Gibb: The Department's policies follow the Civil Service Human Resources' wider model discipline policy. This makes clear that disciplinary matters are strictly confidential. This sits alongside a separate Whistleblowing/Raising a Concern Policy in line with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Students: Debts

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an estimate of the median level of student debt held by people in Leicester East constituency.

Robert Halfon: The median debt of full-time undergraduate borrowers funded by Student Finance England whose postcode is within the Leicester East constituency and who entered repayment within the last five years is £41,493.29. The median debt includes tuition fee and maintenance loans.The borrowers’ postcode refers to the current contact or home address supplied by the borrower to the Student Loans Company.As student loan repayments are income contingent, the amount of loan debt repaid varies with earnings. At a national level amongst borrowers starting study in the 2022/23 academic year, individuals in the lowest forecast earnings decile (who earn less than 90% of other loan borrowers over their lifetime) are estimated to repay 7% of loan outlay borrowed. Those in the top 30% of lifetime earners are expected to repay their loans in full in under 30 years. More information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.

Ministry of Defence

World War II: Wrecks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the results of the survey of the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales undertaken on behalf of his Department by the survey vessel MMA Pinnacle in 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The survey of the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales undertaken in 2019 by the survey vessel MMA Pinnacle was released under the Freedom of Information Act in November 2019. There are no plans for any further publication. A copy, redacted in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, will be placed in the Library of the House.HMS Prince of Wales Wreck Assessment Report  (pdf, 3935.9KB)

Army: Vehicles

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of vehicles procured for the British Army have been manufactured in the UK since 2010; and what proportion has been imported.

James Cartlidge: The tables below show the quantities of vehicles procured for the British Army since 2010 and whether they were manufactured in the UK or imported. As the tables show more than half were manufactured in the UK. To note, the four imported Boxer are currently being used in trials by the Army. Vehicles Procured since 2010, built in the United Kingdom. UK platform UK build number Foxhound400Coyote17Jackal195Terrier60Quad bikes2Panama23JCB Excavator17Ajax59Ares41Argus16Atlas18Apollo20Athena26Wedgewood195Total1,089Vehicles procured since 2010, imported.  UK Imported PlatformNo. ImportedBuffolo Mk112Buffolo Mk25Abacot10Warthog100Talon18Mastiff193Ridgeback21Wolfhound54Boxer4Gasket177CAV237Total831

Haythornthwaite Review of Armed Forces Incentivisation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to publish a formal response to the independent review entitled Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era - a review of UK Armed Forces incentivisation.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has already provided an initial response to the Haythornthwaite Review through the Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on 18 July 2023, where we articulated our intent to focus immediately on taking forward its recommendations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-command-paper-2023-defences-response-to-a-more-contested-and-volatile-world   We intend to provide a more detailed formal response, later in the year, once the Department has had the opportunity to assess the impact of the recommendations and make its own recommendations around the prioritisation and sequencing of implementation activity.

Skynet: Procurement

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the planned initial operating capability date for the next generation of Skynet communications satellites.

James Cartlidge: The contracted date for initial operating capability of SKYNET 6A is January 2026, which is defined as having seven of the ultra-high frequency channels available for operational use by Ministry of Defence and allied personnel.Competitions to procure subsequent geostationary satellites are underway, with the most likely initial operating capability dates being 2028 for the first satellite, 2030 for the second, 2032 for the third and 2036 for the fourth.

LE TacCIS Programme

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the latest estimated initial operating capability date is for the Morpheus next-generation tactical communications system.

James Cartlidge: The original Initial Operating Capability (IOC) date was 2025; a revised IOC is yet to be defined pending ongoing contractual discussions with General Dynamics Mission Systems (UK).

Warrior Vehicles

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme since the start of that programme.

James Cartlidge: The total cost to the Ministry of Defence of the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme was £473.5 million.

Treasury

Government Securities and National Savings Bonds: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the green financing programme, what factors will determine the issuing of (a) sovereign green gilts and (b) green savings bonds.

Andrew Griffith: The Green Financing Programme raises financing which is earmarked towards eligible green expenditures, as set out in the Green Financing Framework, which is available at the link below: www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-green-financing The amount of eligible green expenditures determines the total green financing that is needed, and therefore the size of the Green Financing Programme each year. The amount of financing raised through Green Savings Bonds issued by National Savings and Investments is influenced by wider market conditions and how competitive the Green Savings Bond is relative to comparable retail savings products at the time. As at 31 March 2023, the total amount invested in Green Savings Bonds was £915.7 million. The majority of green financing that is needed is raised via issuance of green gilts through the Debt Management Office. The overall planned amount of financing to be raised via issuance of green gilts is set out before the start of the financial year in the Debt Management Report. The 2023-24 Debt Management Report states that the government plans to issue £10bn of green gilts this financial year, subject to demand and market conditions., The Report is available at the link below: www.gov.uk/government/publications/debt-management-report-2023-24

Pension Funds: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using pension funds to finance Government investment in green projects.

Andrew Griffith: At Mansion House on 10th July, the Chancellor set out the Government’s plans to reform the pensions market to secure better outcomes for pension savers and unlock an additional £75 billion of financing for growth by 2030. Although pension funds must make their own investment decisions, the Government expects these reforms will benefit the UK’s most promising businesses across a variety of sectors. More broadly the Government has provided significant support for green projects. Spending Review 2021 confirmed that since March 2021 the Government has committed a total of £30 billion of domestic investment for the green industrial revolution. Since then, the Government has made new announcements that provide long-term certainty on our investment plans, including £6 billion for energy efficiency and up to £20 billion for early deployment of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage. In addition, the Green Financing Programme raises cash which is earmarked towards eligible green expenditures, as set out in the Green Financing Framework, which is available at the link below: UK Government Green Financing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Every year the list of projects, funded by the issuance of green gilts and the National Savings and Investment Green Savings Bond, is published in the Allocation Report. The environmental impacts of these projects is then published in the Impact Report biennially, the first of which is due later in 2023.

Air Passenger Duty

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of private jet flights paid the higher rate of Air Passenger Duty in the last ten years; if he will make it his policy to levy the higher rate of Air Passenger Duty on all private jet flights; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: Air Passenger Duty (APD) is the UK's principal tax on the aviation sector. There are different rates according to a passenger's class of travel and the distance of their journey. The tax raised £3.18 billion in 2022/23 and its primary objective is to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances. The APD Higher rate applies to larger and more luxurious private and business jets, which are 20 tonnes or more and equipped to carry fewer than 19 passengers. Data on the number of passengers liable for different rates of APD can be found in the APD bulletin on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-passenger-duty-bulletin Since APD applies on a per-passenger basis, HMRC does not collect information on the number of flights by private and business jets. As with all taxes, the government keeps APD under review and any changes are announced by the Chancellor at fiscal events.

Employment: Parents

Miriam Cates: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the number of (a) mothers and (b) fathers who are likely to return to the workplace following the Spring Budget 2023.

John Glen: HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK labour market, including assessments of the impact of the Budget, which are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).The OBR judged that the overall impact of the policy package announced at Spring Budget 2023 is to increase the level of employment by around 0.3 per cent in 2027-28, this is equivalent to 110,000 individuals. This is the largest upward revision made to potential output as a result of government fiscal policy decisions in any of the OBR’s forecasts since 2010.Further details can be found in the OBR’s latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March 2023: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2023/

Treasury: Ministers

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member was not agreed to by (a) a Minister and (b) their office on behalf of a Minister in the last 12 months.

John Glen: This information is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Ministers will regularly seek to engage with hon. Members, whilst balancing wider Ministerial and Parliamentary responsibilities.

Treasury: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to sub-target two of the Greening Government Commitments reporting requirements for 2021 to 2025 last updated on 15 December 2022, whether his Department follows the encouragement in that guidance to (a) monitor and (b) report on the number of domestic flights for which her Department is responsible each year; and how many domestic flights were taken by Ministers in his Department in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

John Glen: Detailed information on domestic flights taken by Ministers can be found within the Sustainability Report in the HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts.

Department for Transport

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Post Office

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the financial impact of the ending of the DVLA contract with post offices of those businesses.

Mr Richard Holden: Post Office Ltd currently provides a limited range of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services and an extension to the current contract has been agreed, ensuring that DVLA services will be available at post offices until the end of March 2024. The DVLA wants its customers to be able to access its services as quickly and as easily as possible and the role of front office counter services will form part of the considerations of future service offerings, utilising government agreements if necessary.The Department for Transport and DVLA are unable to comment on the financial position of post offices.

Department for Transport: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to ensure that staff in his Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has a comprehensive Discipline Policy & Procedure published on the departmental intranet so it can formally manage any reports of alleged misconduct. This follows the Civil Service HR’s wider model discipline policy and includes clear instructions on appropriate disclosure, and the importance of confidentiality, during the course of an investigation and after the matter has been concluded. Confidentiality applies to all parties involved in the process, and it is considered a disciplinary offence to breach confidentiality requirements. This sits alongside a separate Whistleblowing/Raising a Concern Policy in line with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Airports: Fees and Charges

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the level of airport drop-off fees.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help reduce airport drop-off fees.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for hhis policies of changes in the level of airport drop-off fees.

Jesse Norman: Drop off charges at airports are a matter for the airport operator as a commercial business to manage and justify. However, the Department for Transport expects car parking at airports to be managed appropriately and consumers treated fairly. Most airports’ websites contain information on the car parking and drop-off options available and recommendations of the best options depending on the length of stay. For example, Heathrow Airport’s website states that up to 30 minutes free parking is available at their Long Stay car parks where free shuttle buses operate to the terminals. Birmingham Airport’s website states that their “Drop Off” area, a short 5-10 minute walk to the airport, is free for up to 20 minutes. Passengers or visitors who are unsure of the options available should check the relevant airport’s website prior to travel.

Roads: Lincolnshire

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was spent on fixing potholes in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: Local highway authorities, including Lincolnshire County Council, have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. Local highway authorities do not routinely inform the Department of their spend on pothole repairs. During the past five financial years the Department has provided over £207 million to Lincolnshire County Council for highway maintenance, including pothole repair. Note that local authorities are also able to use other funding streams, in addition, for highway maintenance. YearHighways Maintenance Block £mPothole Action Fund £mPothole Fund £mTotal £m2019/2030.9521.642 32.5942020/2130.9521.60819.30151.8612021/2221.513 17.21038.7232022/2321.513 17.21038.7232023/2428.397 17.21045.607Total133.3273.25070.931207.508

Roads: Safety

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of road safety legislation for protecting young people; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to improve road safety for young people.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has commissioned research to examine interventions designed to help learner and newly-qualified drivers improve their skills and safety and we are awaiting publication of outcomes before considering further measures we can take to improve road safety for young drivers.

Driving: Young People

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of drivers under 25 that have black boxes installed in their cars.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department does not collect this information.

Driving: Young People

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of when the findings of the Driver 2020 project will be published.

Mr Richard Holden: We look forward to receiving the findings from the Driver 2020 project, which will feed into considerations on further measures we can take to improve road safety for young drivers. The findings will be published in due course.

Prime Minister

Domestic Visits: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Prime Minister, how many visits he has made to Wales since his appointment.

Rishi Sunak: As Prime Minister I visit all parts of the United Kingdom. My last official visit to Wales was on 22 - 23 March when I was delighted to announce, on a joint visit with the First Minister, that Anglesey Freeport and Celtic Freeport had been successful in their bids to establish new Freeports - backed by up to £26 million each in UK Government funding, and expected to bring forward an estimated £5 billion of private and public investment and create around 20,000 new, high-skilled jobs.Details of my official visits can be found on the gov.uk website as part of the government’s transparency agenda. I also undertake party political visits across the United Kingdom, including most recently to Wales in April.Details of my future official visits will be announced in the usual way.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to ensure that staff in his Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has clear policies in place aligned with Civil Service HR’s wider model discipline policy, stipulating that all cases of misconduct should be dealt in confidence and everyone involved in the discipline process is expected to maintain confidentiality. Any breaches of confidentiality may be treated as misconduct.

Members: Correspondence

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Nuclear and Networks plans to respond to the letter of 27 April 2023 from the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion regarding a correction to the record.

Andrew Bowie: I thank the hon. Member for her email of 27 April. My final position on the matter was set out in my letter of 24 April. I have nothing further to add.

Members: Correspondence

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to respond to correspondence of 31 May 2023 from the hon. Member for Lewisham East, case reference JD34425.

Amanda Solloway: I wrote to the hon. Member on 7 June in response to case reference JD34425.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Artificial Intelligence

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.

Graham Stuart: The Department’s Analysts use machine learning techniques where appropriate as part of analytical support to policy development. However, there is no use of such algorithms for automated decision making.

Hydrogen

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of natural hydrogen to the UK's energy supply.

Graham Stuart: The UK aims to support multiple production routes in order to meet the Government's ambition to have up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. The Government is not aware of evidence to suggest natural hydrogen will make a significant contribution to the UK’s hydrogen production ambitions. However, the Government welcomes efforts from other countries that support the production and use of low carbon hydrogen and is working with international partners on issues including natural hydrogen.

Energy: Housing

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Citizens Advice report Home Advantage: Unlocking the Benefits of Energy Efficiency, published in June 2023, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the realisation of the economic and social benefits of improving the energy efficiency of homes.

Graham Stuart: The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament in clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings, through schemes including the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant. This summer the Government will launch the £1 billion Great British Insulation Scheme, meaning approximately 300,000 of the country’s least energy efficient homes could save £300-£400 each year The Government has committed a further £6bn of funding for energy efficiency and low carbon heating from 2025 to 2028.

Fuels: Prices

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that supermarkets reflect falls in wholesale prices in consumer fuel costs.

Amanda Solloway: The Government expects retailers to pass on savings to consumers and strongly believes rigorous competition is the best way of delivering low fuel prices for consumers. The Government has therefore accepted the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) recommendations to create a statutory open data scheme for road fuel prices and an ongoing monitoring function for the UK market, and will consult on this in the autumn. In the interim, the CMA will create a voluntary scheme, by end of August, encouraging fuel retailers to share accurate, up-to-date fuel prices for publication, and continue to monitor prices using its existing powers.

Heating: Social Rented Housing

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the roll-out of clean heat in social housing.

Graham Stuart: The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), launched in 2020, will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock below EPC C up to that standard, delivering warm, energy-efficient homes, reducing carbon emissions and fuel bills, tackling fuel poverty, and supporting green jobs. Total committed funding for the SHDF and associated demonstrator is just over £1bn.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what percentage of applications to the Alternative Fuels Payment Scheme were rejected.

Amanda Solloway: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 20 July 2023 to questions 194610, 194611, 194612 and 194613.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households (a) in North Shropshire constituency, (b) in Shropshire and (c) nationally were eligible for Alternative Fuel Payments.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the mean time is between submission of an application and an Alternative Fuel Payment being provided.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of refusals of applications to the Alternative Fuels Payment Scheme were later overturned.

Amanda Solloway: In relation to question 194284, providing this information would exceed the threshold and incur a disproportionate cost to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. For questions 194278 and 194281, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 20 July 2023 to questions 194610, 194611, 194612 and 194613.

Energy Supply

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) functional, (b) cyber and (c) physical security standards apply to energy generating facilities.

Andrew Bowie: The Department works with Ofgem, the regulator, security agencies and technical authorities, and the generator community, to ensure that proportionate physical and cyber security standards are in place for the energy sector. The Network and Information Systems Regulation 2018 requires generators over a certain threshold to ensure proportionate cyber security measures are in place to protect the service they provide. DESNZ works with industry to provides guidelines and advice on physical security, reinforced by a personnel security programme.

Electricity Interconnectors: France

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to make a decision on the AQUIND interconnector project.

Graham Stuart: The proposed AQUIND Interconnector Project is being redetermined by the Secretary of State. There is no statutory deadline for the redetermination of this application.

Solar Power

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a set common standards used for the fitting of solar panels on domestic and commercial properties.

Graham Stuart: No recent assessment has been made by Government on this matter. For information on installing solar panels and general guidance we would recommend the Solar Energy UK website. Accredited installers can be found on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme website.

Renewable Energy: Damage

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) vandalism and (b) other damage to (i) solar farms and (ii) other energy-generating facilities on energy supplies; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of security arrangements for such sites.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero works closely with industry, the National Protective Security Authority and the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure energy infrastructure is proportionately protected against a range of threats, including malicious and accidental damage.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Psilocybin

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in the Scottish Government on support for (a) businesses and (b) universities for research into psilocybin.

Mr Alister Jack: Drug policy and the associated legislation regarding its use and possession is reserved. I have not had any discussions with the Scottish Government regarding research into psilocybin.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Life Sciences: Economic Growth

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) organ-on-a-chip technology and (b) other human-specific technologies on economic growth.

George Freeman: The Government has not made an assessment on the potential impact of organ-on-chip and other human-specific technologies on economic growth. It is actively supporting and funding the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs). UK Research and Innovation provides the core funding for the National Centre for 3Rs, which drives the uptake of 3Rs technologies. Since it was established, the NC3Rs has invested £77 million in research and almost £27 million in contracts through its CRACK IT Challenges innovation scheme.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to ensure that staff in her Department who are under investigation for alleged misconduct are not named before those allegations are proven.

George Freeman: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has clear policies in place aligned with Civil Service HR’s wider model discipline policy, stipulating that all cases of misconduct should be dealt with confidentially, and everyone involved in the discipline process is expected to maintain confidentiality. Any breaches of confidentiality may be treated as misconduct.This does not prevent someone from raising a matter under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) where they have a relevant concern and sits alongside a separate Whistleblowing and Raising a Concern Policy in line with PIDA.

Mathematics: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps UK Research and Innovation is taking to support foundational mathematical research.

George Freeman: I refer the hon. Member to the letter my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on 23 May. (https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40161/documents/195836/default).

Life Sciences: Business

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking in each region of the UK to implement the Life Sciences' vision to make the UK the most attractive location in Europe to start and grow a life sciences business.

George Freeman: The Life Sciences sector plays a key role in levelling up the wealth and health of the UK and is one of the Chancellor’s five key growth sectors to drive the UK economy. The Government is committed to supporting Life Sciences businesses across the country. To date over 80% of the funding allocated and employment created through our two recent sector-wide capital grants schemes – the Medicines and Diagnostics Transformation Fund and the Life Sciences Innovation Manufacturing Fund – is outside London and the South-East, through projects in all four nations of the UK.

Economic Situation: Patents

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department had discussions with its counterparts in the EU on the impact of standard essential patents on the economies of the (a) UK and (b) EU in the period between 1 January 2022 and 30 June 2023; and if she will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Government believes that Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) will be of growing importance to the UK economy. In August 2022, the Government published a Summary of Responses relating to its call for views on SEPs and innovation, and more recently in July 2023 the Intellectual Property Office published findings following a questionnaire aimed at SMEs relating to their experiences around licensing of SEPs. During the Government’s ongoing policy development, it has engaged with relevant industry and international partners, including the EU, and will continue to do so on areas of mutual interest.

Mathematics: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2023 to Question 190871 on Mathematics: Research, whether the £124 million includes money spent as part of the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematic Sciences in the 2020-21 and 2022-23 financial years.

George Freeman: The £124 million committed to the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematic Sciences covers the financial years 2020/21 to 2028/29. This is in addition to UKRI’s core funding for mathematical sciences of around £25-30 million per annum.

Innovation: Science

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what comparative assessment she has made of the relative advantage to (a) researchers and (b) manufacturers of (i) gene therapies and (ii) other scientific innovations of location in (A) the UK and (B) other European countries.

George Freeman: The UK is home to 4 of the world’s top 10 universities and a $1 trilllion technology sector. Together 8 of our university towns, are home to more billion-dollar unicorn start-ups than France and Germany combined. The science and technology framework, builds on the Innovation Strategy, with around £500 million new and existing funding. This includes a £50 million uplift to World Class Labs funding to help UK researchers access the best labs and equipment they need to keep producing world-class science. The Government supports the NHS in R&D of advanced therapy medicinal products, including gene therapies, through the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre network, hosted by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. The Catapult, head-quartered in Stevenage, is at the centre of the third largest cluster of cell and gene therapy companies in the world.

Life Sciences

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her speech at the Creating a Scientific Superpower Conference on 28 June 2023, what the substantial progress is that her Department has made towards realising its ambitious Life Sciences Vision.

George Freeman: In the two years since its publication, substantial progress has been made in delivering the ambition of the Vision, including the publication of the Genome UK Implementation Plan, alongside £175 million for cutting edge genomic research. Most recently, on 26 May, we announced a £650 million policy package that will support several key areas of the life sciences sector, including clinical trials, biomanufacturing, and skills, and drive economic growth. This month, we have also signed a landmark agreement with BioNTech SE which will provide up to 10,000 UK patients with innovative precision cancer immunotherapies by 2030.

Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her speech at the Creating a Scientific Superpower Conference on 28 June 2023, what steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) one-time gene therapies and (b) other revolutionary emerging technologies are available in the UK.

George Freeman: The Government supports the NHS in R&D of advanced therapy medicinal products, including gene therapies, through the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre network, hosted by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. The Catapult, head-quartered in Stevenage, is at the centre of the third largest cluster of cell and gene therapy companies in the world. Additionally, the Science and Technology Framework, published in March identifies the critical technologies that are crucial to the UK. It also details the steps required to build upon our world class research base to attract investment, grow UK companies and talent, and innovate successfully and safely.

Chemistry: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps she has taken to improve the representation of black males in postdoctoral chemistry research.

George Freeman: DSIT funds chemistry research through UK Research and Innovation. UKRI’s action to address underrepresentation is guided by its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and its council’s action plans which are published on its website: EDI strategy and action plans – UKRI. In addition, in 2022 Research England and the Office for Students announced £8 million funding to 13 projects that will seek to widen participation in postgraduate research amongst black, Asian and minority ethnic students. DSIT continues to work with UKRI and DfE to consider further steps to support access to and widen participation in the research system.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Artificial Intelligence

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems her Department uses; and for what purposes.

George Freeman: The Department does not currently use algorithmic and other automated decision-making systems as the primary source of judgement in its processes. It is working to use technologies such as automation and AI innovatively to improve outcomes and efficiency. Government’s Roadmap to a Digital Future includes digital transformation in Government by “automating manual processes” in order to drive greater efficiency and deliver maximum value for the taxpayer. The Department's Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, in collaboration with the Cabinet Office's Central Digital and Data Office, has established the UK's Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard. This helps public sector organisations provide clear information about the algorithmic tools they use, and why they’re using them.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: CK Hutchison Holdings

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has held meetings with representatives of CK Hutchison in the last 12 months.

George Freeman: Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department produced a ministerial response under the write round process to the Department for Education's review of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum.

George Freeman: The Secretary of State for Education has been clear she is very concerned about reports of inappropriate materials being used to teach relationships and sex education (RSHE). The Government has brought forward the review of the RSHE statutory guidance as a result, including conducting a public consultation as soon as possible. The statutory guidance clearly states that the guidance will be reviewed every three years from first teaching (September 2020) and so the decision to review the guidance does not require collective agreement. The Secretary of State for Education will seek collective agreement to the consultation documents through a write-round process, before publishing the consultation in the autumn. This process is not yet underway. As part of the review, an expert panel has been established to advise the Secretary of State on what topics should and should not be taught in school and the introduction of age limits. This will provide clear guidance for teachers about when certain topics can be addressed. In tandem to this work, the Oak Academy is producing a suite of materials to support teachers to create age-appropriate lessons plans and ensure that they have access to appropriate materials.The Government is determined to make sure RSHE teaching leaves children equipped to make informed decisions about their health, wellbeing and relationships, in a sensitive way that reflects their stage of development. The Government expects new statutory guidance to be released in the coming months. It will then be subject to public consultation to conclude by the end of the year, coming into statutory force as soon as possible after that.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Ministers

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member was not agreed to by (a) a Minister and (b) their office on behalf of a Minister in the last 12 months.

Mims Davies: This information is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Ministers will regularly seek to engage with hon. Members, whilst balancing wider Ministerial and Parliamentary responsibilities.

State Retirement Pensions: Underpayments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to tackle under-payment errors in state pensions.

Laura Trott: Our priority is to ensure everyone receives the financial support to which they are entitled. Where errors do occur, we are committed to fixing them as quickly as possible. The Department for Work and Pensions became aware of issues with State Pension underpayments in 2020 and took immediate action to investigate the extent of the problem, which dates back many years across successive Governments. The DWP formally commenced a Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practices (LEAP) exercise on 11 January 2021.Over 1,300 staff have been recruited or redeployed to the ongoing State Pension underpayment LEAP exercise. Delivery is backloaded and case reviews have significantly increased since November 2022. The latest data shows we have reviewed an average of over 30,000 cases per month between November 2022 and March 2023, compared to an average of 5,000 per month over the first 22 months of the exercise.Based on our current trajectory, the Department expects to complete the exercise for Category BL and Category D cases by the end of 2023. For missed conversion cases, the exercise could run through to late 2024.Other State Pension underpayment errors were identified through DWP’s fraud and error sampling which related to historic non-recording of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) on a claimant’s National Insurance record. In September, HMRC will begin contacting people potentially affected by missing HRP. This will be supported by a communications campaign to increase public awareness and encourage people to see if they are affected. DWP will then revise the State Pension awards of people who may have been affected. We will also shortly be launching a new online tool to help people check whether they need to claim.

Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the number of households in the private rented sector in receipt of universal credit with the housing element in payment; how many and what proportion of those households have rents that exceed the local housing allowance (LHA); and what the median average gap is between the rent and the LHA for those households where rent exceeds the LHA for each local authority area in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales for the most recent period for which data are available.

Mims Davies: The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. Data on local LHA rates and averages can be found in the attachments provided. In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates. These rates were aligned to the 30th percentile of market rents in Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMA) across the country, therefore in those areas with higher rent costs this is reflected in higher LHA rates for that BRMA. In 2022/23, the Government is projected to spend around £30 billion to support renters. This is approximately 1.4% of GDP, more than any other OECD country, with the next highest being 0.9% of GDP. Information on the legislation increasing LHA rates to 30th percentile in April 2020 can be found here. Information on the legislation maintaining LHA rates at their current rates for 2023/24 can be found here. For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities. We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively. Overall, the Government is providing total support of over £94 billion over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.Attachment (xlsx, 43.7KB)Attachment 2 (xlsx, 26.1KB)

Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of those households in receipt of universal credit with the housing element in payment had rents that exceeded the local housing allowance (LHA) in (a) March 2020, (b) March 2021, (c) March 2022 and (d) March 2023; and what the median average gap is between the rent and the LHA for those households where rent exceeds the LHA in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.

Mims Davies: The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. Data on local LHA rates and averages can be found in the attachments provided. In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates. These rates were aligned to the 30th percentile of market rents in Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMA) across the country, therefore in those areas with higher rent costs this is reflected in higher LHA rates for that BRMA. In 2022/23, the Government is projected to spend around £30 billion to support renters. This is approximately 1.4% of GDP, more than any other OECD country, with the next highest being 0.9% of GDP. Information on the legislation increasing LHA rates to 30th percentile in April 2020 can be found here. Information on the legislation maintaining LHA rates at their current rates for 2023/24 can be found here. For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities. We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively. Overall, the Government is providing total support of over £94 billion over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.Attachment (xlsx, 43.7KB)Attachment 2 (xlsx, 26.1KB)